Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, calls upon forming an immediate independent Investigation Committee concerning the death of Awni Al- Louh (57 years old). Al- Louh passed away today (Monday May 1, 2023) following transferring him from the a Correction and Rehabilitation Center (supervised by the military police) in Gaza Strip, to Ash- Shifaa Hospital. The mentioned citizen had been interrogated since 8/3/2023. SHAMS Center demands the necessity to uncover the real reasons and circumstances that caused the death of the given citizen as well as demanding corpse dissection with the presence of a medicine nominated by the family, to figure out the reasons behind the death and account those responsible for it.
SHAMS Center reminds here that the current case is the second of this type of death within the previous ten days inside the Correction and Rehabilitation Centers in Gaza Strip. For that, there is a need for immediate assessment of the circumstances inside these centers to figure out their situation and whether they are appropriate to host prisoners or not. In this regard, the religious preacher Muhammed Al- Soufi, had died on 20/4/2023 (few hours after he was interrogated) but the reasons of his death were not published. SHAMS Center emphasized that the persons responsible for the Correction and Rehabilitation Centers should take immediate measures before the death of interrogated persons in these centers become a permanent phenomenon. SHAMS Center emphasizes that there is a need to uncover the real reasons behind the death of interrogated persons inside the given centers. The Center added that the one who interrogated late Awni Al- Louh, is the one who is responsible for his personal safety.
SHAMS Center stresses that, as organization, is waiting for the findings of the investigation but the repetition of death cases inside the Correction and Rehabilitation centers in Gaza Strip, is a matter subject to doubt and suspected to practicing torture and cruel treatment inside these centers. SHAMS Center emphasizes the necessity to respect human rights and ensure that interrogated persons inside the Correction and Rehabilitation Centers are not subject to any form of torture or cruel treatment. SHAMS Center affirms here that the crime of torturing others is not statute of limitation
SHAMS Center calls upon the authorized bodies responsible for the Correction and Rehabilitation Centers in Gaza Strip, to enable the Human Rights Organizations to visit these centers and figure out the living conditions of the persons interrogated there. Additionally, the organization demands enabling the Human Rights Organizations to figure out the appropriation of these facilities to host prisoners and their harmony with the national and international standards for interrogation centers, especially the Correction and Rehabilitation Centers Law (6/ 1998).
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